Keep your NYSLRS beneficiaries up to date
s a member of the New York State and Local Retirement System, if you die before retiring your beneficiaries may be entitled to receive a death benefit (bit.ly/member-death-benefits). Beneficiaries of NYSLRS retirees may also be entitled to a post-retirement death benefit if you die after retiring directly from service or within one year of leaving public employment (bit.ly/retiree-death-benefits).
Whether you’re a member or retiree, it’s important to review your beneficiaries periodically. Life circumstances change, and a beneficiary you named before might not be one you would choose today. For instance, you may have a new partner, or you may have children now. And NYSLRS can only pay a death benefit to the beneficiaries you’ve named. You should also ensure NYSLRS always has their current contact information.
Manage your beneficiaries in Retirement Online
The fastest way to view or update your beneficiaries is in Retirement Online.
- Sign in to Retirement Online (bit.ly/RO-sign-in).
- Look under “My Account Summary.”
- Click the “View and update my beneficiaries” button.
If you don’t have an account or for help signing in to an existing account, check out Retirement Online tools and tips (bit.ly/RO-tools-tips) for step-by-step instructions.
Types of beneficiaries
Your primary beneficiary will receive your death benefit. You can list more than one primary beneficiary and choose different percentages for each, which must total 100 percent. If you don’t specify percentages, your beneficiaries will share the benefit equally.
A contingent beneficiary will only receive a benefit if all your primary beneficiaries predecease you. If you list multiple contingent beneficiaries, they will share the benefit equally unless you choose different percentages.
For more information, read the New York Retirement News blog:
- For members: Your death benefit beneficiaries (bit.ly/member-beneficiaries)
- For retirees: Can you change your beneficiary after you retire? (bit.ly/retiree-beneficiaries)
In every issue, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, administrator of the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS), provides information on the retirement benefits received by many NYSUT SRPs and support staff. If you are a NYSLRS member with a question of general interest, email united@nysut.org.
Manage your beneficiaries in Retirement Online
The fastest way to view or update your beneficiaries is in Retirement Online.
- Sign in to Retirement Online (bit.ly/RO-sign-in).
- Look under “My Account Summary.”
- Click the “View and update my beneficiaries” button.
If you don’t have an account or for help signing in to an existing account, check out Retirement Online tools and tips (bit.ly/RO-tools-tips) for step-by-step instructions.
Types of beneficiaries
Your primary beneficiary will receive your death benefit. You can list more than one primary beneficiary and choose different percentages for each, which must total 100 percent. If you don’t specify percentages, your beneficiaries will share the benefit equally.
A contingent beneficiary will only receive a benefit if all your primary beneficiaries predecease you. If you list multiple contingent beneficiaries, they will share the benefit equally unless you choose different percentages.
For more information, read the New York Retirement News blog:
- For members: Your death benefit beneficiaries (bit.ly/member-beneficiaries)
- For retirees: Can you change your beneficiary after you retire? (bit.ly/retiree-beneficiaries)
In every issue, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, administrator of the New York State and Local Retirement System, provides information on the retirement benefits received by many NYSUT SRPs and support staff. If you are a NYSLRS member with a question of general interest, email united@nysut.org.